Apr. 6, 2018, 1:26 p.m.

An ambitious effort to raise commercial property taxes through revamping California’s Proposition 13 will no longer be aimed at earning a spot on this fall’s statewide ballot, supporters said on Friday.

“The longer that we have to explain this issue, the better that we're going to do,” said Mac Zilber, a political strategist working with the coalition of community and labor groups behind the plan.

After facing criticism for not taking part in a Latino business group’s gubernatorial forum, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom has rolled out an endorsement from one of the most prominent Latino politicians in the state.

Hilda Solis, a former member of the Obama administration who now serves on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, announced Thursday that she was backing Newsom at a campaign event in East Los Angeles.

"Gavin Newsom is a true champion for all Californians," Solis said in a statement, pointing to his record on healthcare and city finances as mayor of San Francisco. "There's no question that on issues that matter to families — from providing quality health care and good paying jobs to standing up for immigrant families and protecting Californians from Donald Trump's attacks — Gavin's the leader we need sitting behind the Governor's Desk.”

Apr. 6, 2018, 10:37 a.m.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel detain a man during a raid in Southern California. (Charles Reed / Associated Press)

As the fight over California’s immigration policies intensifies, so have the attacks from opponents who argue its landmark “sanctuary state” law is allowing the release of violent criminals into the streets.

The California Values Act, which was signed into law last year, prevents law enforcement officers in many cases from holding and questioning people at the request of federal immigration agents, and limits them from sharing the release dates of some county jail inmates who are in the country illegally.

The law has set off a tense showdown over public safety. But some officials who oppose the measure have distorted its scope.

Apr. 6, 2018, 10:11 a.m.

California's effort to get 16- and 17-year-olds to pre-register to vote has now enlisted 100,000 teenagers, according to information released on Friday by Secretary of State Alex Padilla.

“This is a big milestone,” Padilla said. “I’m optimistic it’s going to translate into action at the ballot box.”

The program, which began in the fall of 2016, automatically activates the teen’s registration at age 18. State officials reported that more than 10% of the total number of pre-registrations have come in just the last few weeks.

Apr. 5, 2018, 5:47 p.m.

Sen. Kamala Harris told a Sacramento crowd Thursday she was grieving with them over the death of Stephon Clark, an unarmed black man whose shooting by police nearly three weeks ago has roiled California’s capital city.

Hosting a town hall at a church, Harris addressed the shooting at the outset and touted training for law enforcement to counter implicit bias, telling the audience that Clark’s life “is a life that should not have been lost. That is a loss that should not have been taken.”

The Democrat, who had been criticized by some black lawmakers during her previous job as California’s attorney general for not taking stronger action on police shootings, spoke of her work to establish implicit-bias training while serving as the state’s “top cop.”

The Orange County Republican has drawn more than half a dozen Democratic challengers, some of whom have raised more cash than the 15-term congressman.

Election have handicappers declared his race a toss-up, protesters have shown up at his home and district office, and Rohrabacher's name has frequently come up during the investigation into Russian election meddling because of his connections to key figures in the inquiry.